Proxima
Proxima (minor-planet designation: 22 Proxima) is a large celestial object in the asteroid belt of the Tigris system and the only object within the belt to accommodate a permanent population. An M-type asteroid, it was rich in valuable minerals such as iron and titanium–a characteristic that made it ideal for exploitation during the Unified Earth Government's earlier expansionary efforts. It has since become something of a port where merchants, miners and engineers make a living. During the , Proxima fell out of contact with the but managed to provide a rare safe-haven for refugees in the to wait out the conflict. By the war's end, Proxima was considered a place where a number of questionable practices could go over with little issue, and a "wild west" attitude was dominant. Even after the colony re-established communication channels with the UEG, smuggling was common and a sense of staunch independence prevailed. History Discovery and early habitation 22 Proxima was discovered in 2367 after the expanded its survey of the Tigris system into the local asteroid belt. Deep scans of the asteroid revealed massive deposits of titanium hidden just beneath the surface with moderate formations of iron, palladium and even diamond present as well. The mining corporation Vulcan Resources immediately took interest in Proxima and invested millions of into what would be a long and arduous, yet hopefully fruitful venture for the company. A mining colony sprouted soon afterward, built in the Pylae Dives cavern by Vulcan to provide lodging and life support to the thousands of miners contracted to conduct the risky extraction operations there. The colony, dubbed Proxima Port, housed approximately 9,000 resident workers by 2377. Piracy, economic woes and abandonment In the beginning, Vulcan's gamble appeared to have paid off as Proxima became a flourishing colony. While the company invested an estimated cR 180 million into the asteroid, Proxima raked in a hefty average profit of cR 40 billion annually over the course of a decade. While the wealth from Proxima was substantial and brought in hundreds of eager prospectors every year, it attracted a degree of negative attention as well–namely, from pirates. Piracy was always a problem for interstellar industry and new colonies, including Proxima, but in the Tigris system it seemed to increase at an exponential rate during the 2380s. Instances of hijackings, kidnappings, and cargo thefts became rapidly more common near both the superior and inferior in the system, estimated to have cost Vulcan Resources more than cR 700 million in the first-half of 2381 alone. Vulcan was forced to quadruple its spending on security and higher greater numbers of private military contractors since they believed the Colonial Military Administration's cursory patrols of the system did little to curb pirate activity in the belt. Pirates were far from the only trouble that threatened Proxima however as in 2386, the Aeolis Planitia Titanium Mine–Proxima's largest and most-profitable mine–was finally depleted and closed off. In the years prior, Vulcan surveyors failed to locate other veins anywhere near as promising as Aeolis Planitia. A year later another highly-productive mine at the Ishtar Crater site collapsed after pirates detonated a payload of excavation-grade nuclear devices. An estimated 1,200 people were killed in the incident. Though afterwards the CMA would finally decide to take its patrol duties in the system seriously, it was too little to late for Vulcan Resources. The increased security costs, declining returns, pirate raids, and Ishtar incident left a sour taste in the company's mouth and it was no longer deemed worth it to continue major operations in the system. By 2388 Proxima Port had been abandoned and shutdown by the company; the few operations that remained active were fully automated. Independent miners and pirates conducted some of their own extraction operations on Proxima at there own risk but they too would begin to depart. Vulcan closed its final automated facilities there in 2395, effectively abandoning their claim to the asteroid entirely. Revitalization and Human-Covenant war Proxima was left abandoned and inert for roughly a century until 2489, when it was rediscovered accidentally by Virgil Marlowe–leader of a smuggling ring. Virgil and his crew partially reactivated the port and began using the colony as a clandestine base of operations. By 2525 Proxima, as well as Virgil's smuggling ring, were under the control of his son Jerrell who, like his father, held partiality toward the separatist cause and allowed limited access to the asteroid to the United Rebel Front. When the Human-Covenant war erupted and the outer colony worlds began to fall, Jerrell and his people began leading thousands of displaced peoples to the fully-reactivated Proxima Port, sparing them from life in refugee camps and allowing them to hide in relative safety. Over ten thousand refugees were brought into Proxima during the first few years alone, while the colony served as a way station for those who were unwilling to stay. A local government was created in 2529, transforming Proxima from a base to an unofficial colony. Not much changed however, as the people still looked to Jerrell Marlowe for leadership. Description Government Security and defense Category:Location